The present invention relates to quick-detachable swivels for attaching a sling to an item to be carried or pulled, such as a firearm or luggage.
Quick-detachable swivels have been known in the art for some time. In general, such swivels have a loop at one end of a body for attachment to a sling, and a mounting pin that is receivable by a conventional mounting base or swivel stud attached to a firearm. Two examples of sling swivels are disclosed in Ives, U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,675, and Ives, U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,267. In those swivels, the loop is fashioned from a piece of wire having a circular cross section that is bent to form the loop, so that the loop has curved sides. The two ends of the loop are then inserted into the body to attach the loop to the body.
Another sling swivel, sold by Boonie Packer of Salem, Oreg., is made from injection molded metal so that the loop portion is integral with the body. The Boonie Packer loop has the same curved sides and circular cross-section as the loop of the swivels disclosed in the two Ives patents discussed above.
Yet another sling swivel manufactured by Boonie Packer of Salem, Oreg., is formed by bending a wire having a rectangular cross-section to form a loop having curved outer portions, like that of the Boonie Packer injection molded sling swivel and the swivels disclosed in the two Ives patents. Instead of having a solid body, the two end portions of the wire extend in substantially straight lines away from the loop portion, with the mounting pin extending from one of the end portions.
Because sling swivels are used with firearms, the sling swivels should be sturdy enough so that the sling swivel does not break or detach and allow the firearm to become disengaged from the sling. Nevertheless, it is also desired that the sling swivel be quickly detachable, so that the firearm may be quickly removed from the sling when desired. It is also desired that the sling swivel be quiet, especially in hunting situations. Many sling swivels are formed from metal. These swivels may produce unwanted noise in use when the metallic sling swivel strikes the firearm, particularly metallic portions of the firearm such as the barrel.
Accordingly, what is still desired is a sling swivel that is quick-detachable, that has a loop portion for attaching to a sling but that is relatively quiet, that has a shift/swing gate that resists opening when subjected to stress, that is relatively light weight, and that is easily and cheaply manufactured.
The present invention overcomes the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art and provides an improved quick-detachable sling swivel. In a first aspect of the invention, the quick-detachable sling swivel of the present invention connects a sling to a mounting base. The sling swivel comprises a body and a shift/swing gate. The body has an elongate bore and an offset arm. An elongate plunger is mounted in the bore of the body and defines a plunger axis. The plunger is movable axially between a first and a second position with respect to the body. The shift/swing gate is associated with the body through the plunger, the gate being rotatable when the plunger is in the second position, and the gate being capable of interconnecting with the offset arm when the plunger is in the first position. The body, the gate and the offset arm collectively define a loop for receiving the sling when the gate is interconnected with the offset arm. When the sling swivel is attached to the mounting base, the sling is received within the loop.
This aspect of the invention has the advantage of providing a quiet sling swivel that is small, lightweight and quick detachable. The sling swivel is quieter than conventional swivels because the fabric sling covers at least a portion of the body. Thus, the sling insulates the sling swivel, and reduces the amount of contact that may occur between the sling swivel and the firearm or other item to which the sling swivel is attached.
In another separate aspect of the invention, a sling swivel comprises a body and a shift/swing gate. The body has an elongate bore and an offset arm. An elongate plunger is mounted in the bore of the body and defines a plunger axis, the plunger being movable axially between first and second positions with respect to the body. The shift/swing gate is associated with the body through the plunger. The gate is rotatable when the plunger is in the second position, the gate being capable of interconnecting with the offset arm when the plunger is in the first position. The gate and body have respective engaging surfaces which selectively interfere with rotation of the gate with respect to the body. When the plunger is in the first position, the respective engaging surfaces prevent rotation of the gate with respect to the body. When the plunger is in the second position, the respective engaging surfaces are spaced apart from each other, thus allowing the gate to rotate with respect to the body.
This aspect of the invention provides a sling swivel that is both quick-detachable and securely locked. The mating engaging surfaces act to prevent rotation of the gate with respect to the body when the gate is interconnected with the arm and the mounting pin is inserted through the mounting base. This further reinforces the gate in the closed position, allowing the sling swivel to withstand twisting forces and reducing the amount of stress applied to the mounting pin when engaged with the gate.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.